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Faculty Bios

Sandra Matteucci, Director & Lecturer

Sandra Matteucci began teaching Technical Writing at Washington University in St. Louis in 2001. Today, she teaches technical writing and works in the Engineering Communication Center, a walk-in writing consultation service for undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty in Engineering.

Sandra has almost twenty years experience in technical writing, information design, and online content development. Her writing experience includes consulting work in industry, including healthcare, banking, and the chemical/agricultural business. She has developed user manuals, online help, and ISO 9000 procedures for certification by the International Standards Organization. Before she accepted her current position at WashU, she helped co-found a small consulting firm offering writing, and web development services.

In 2001, she received the Distinguished Chapter Service Award from the Society for Technical Communication, an international organization dedicated to technical communication. In 2007, she received an Innovation in Teaching Award from the Engineering department; and in 2009, she was a Gephardt Institute for Public Service grant recipient for Innovation in Community-Based Teaching and Learning and will be teaching a course incorporating technical writing in service to the community. She holds a B.A. from the University of Texas, Austin and a MLA from Washington University in St. Louis.

James Ballard, Senior Lecturer & Director Emeritus

Jim Ballard inaugurated the undergraduate course in Technical Writing in the mid 1970s and continues to teach the course today. He also teaches a graduate course in Engineering Communications, as well as Engineering Practice and Professional Values, an ethics-focused undergraduate course. In addition to consulting in the Engineering Communication Center, Jim pursues interests in pedagogy, technical graphics, oral presentation, warning communications, and research writing.

Lynnea Brumbaugh, Lecturer

With a PhD in English and ten years of teaching Management Communications in the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Lynnea Brumbaugh brings to her Technical Writing courses a strong emphasis on precision, clarity and presentation of technical material.

Her strong interest in the "soft" skills of professional life, centering on interpersonal communication and personality integration, have led to the development of her Leadership and Teambuilding course.

In her work in Engineering Communications Center, she specializes in resume and cover letter consultations as well as dissertations and faculty and graduate articles. She also leads workshops on presentation skills, gender in the workplace, and creativity.

Allison Creighton, Adjunct Instructor

Allison Creighton began teaching Technical Writing at Washington University in St. Louis in 2014. She has worked as a technical writer and editor for many years, initially as a writer and editor for an educational publishing company. In 2006, Allison founded the technical editing service, New Page Edits, in which she has focused primarily on editing medical and biotechnology life science materials, including federal grant proposals, business plans, executive summaries, press releases, presentations, and submissions to scientific journals and conferences. In 2011, her client was awarded first place in the St. Louis Regional Business Plan Competition.

Additionally, Allison has over twenty years of teaching experience. She has taught composition at Fontbonne University for the past eight years, and prior to her employment at Fontbonne, she taught composition at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, where she also supervised the Supplemental Instruction Program, an academic support program for students enrolled in historically difficult courses.

Allison holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri—St. Louis, an AB in English and Secondary Education from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BA in Music, a BS in Music Therapy, and a minor in Psychology from Maryville University.

Seema Mukhi Dahlheimer, Lecturer

Seema Mukhi Dahlheimer has taught Technical Writing and worked with students and faculty at the Engineering Communication Center since 2008. She has been at Washington University in St. Louis since 1999, first as a student, then as an administrator at The Writing Center and Cornerstone: The Center for Advanced Learning, and now in the Engineering Communication Center.

Seema holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, an MA in English with a Teaching of Writing concentration from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and an AB in English and Secondary Education from WUSTL.

She is a writer, an educator, and a lover of all things writing-related. Her experience includes teaching writing at WUSTL, Fontbonne University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Webster University, and St. Louis Community College. She has also consulted as a writing coach for professionals in fields such as finance and law, freelanced as a writer in industries ranging from public engagement to healthcare, and tutored high school students in writing and standardized test preparation.

Teresa Tarwater, Adjunct Instructor

An adjunct lecturer in Technical Writing since 1991, Teresa brings over 20 years professional experience as a technical writer, editor, publication manager, software developer, and corporate consultant into the classroom. Currently VP of Marketing at COMPROSE Inc. a St. Louis-based software, services and consulting firm, Teresa specializes in corporate technical and marketing communications and has been involved in all aspects of commercial software development and marketing from application design and customer education to sales and technical support. Her industry experience includes providing policy and procedure design, training, and consulting services to organizations in manufacturing, banking, health services and many other industries. A sampling of clients includes Intel, Honeywell, Toyota Motor Corporation, International Financial Data Services, First Bank/First Services, State Street Bank, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, New England Power & Light, Diagnostic Laboratory Services, and Virginia Commonwealth University-Health Systems.

As a specialist in creating more effective standard operating procedures, Teresa has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences including the American Society of Quality Control, International Quality and Productivity Center, Electric Power Research Institute, and International Society for Technical Communication.

She earned a Master's of Arts in English Language and Literature, summa cum laude, and Bachelor's of Arts in English Language and Literature with a minor in Chemistry, magna cum laude, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Fran Hooker, Adjunct Instructor

Fran Hooker has devoted her professional life to the written word. She began her affiliation with WashU in Public Affairs, writing and editing articles about research in medicine, physics, and the space sciences. For ten years, she served as Curriculum Coordinator for the Communications and Journalism Program in University College. In 2000, she became a tutor at the Washington University Writing Center and has since served as a writing center administrator, first at Webster University, then at Cornerstone: The Center for Advanced Learning. Currently she supervises the College Writing Center at St. Louis Community College, Meramec. She is also a writer of children's fiction, represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Since 1995, Fran has taught numerous writing courses at WUSTL, including Freelance Writing, Business Writing, and Composition. She has also enjoyed teaching courses related to two of her passions, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and the American West. Fran became an adjunct lecturer in Technical Writing in 2009.

Fran holds a Master's in English from WUSTL, and a Bachelor's in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona.

Cindy Mittanck, Lecturer

Cindy Mittanck joined the Engineering Communication Center as an adjunct professor in the fall of 2012. Her scientific background and industry experience influence her approach to discussing current business practices and teaching technical writing.

She holds a BS and MS from the University of Florida, where she studied plant molecular biology. As a senior research scientist at Monsanto Company, she investigated methods for controlling fungal diseases in major agricultural crops. Her work has been patented, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at scientific conferences. Later, in her role as Integration and Development Lead, Cindy was responsible for working with human resources representatives to further develop leadership training and team building programs within Monsanto’s Agricultural Technology group. Additionally, she consulted for 10 years at Pharmacia (later Pfizer), as project manager for a team that developed and produced an annual technical meeting for the 1200 Pfizer researchers in St. Louis.